Surgical retraction using a pair of blades to maintain exposure for the surgical site is a long established practice. The blades may be fixed to a retractor mechanism or interchangeable on a retractor body.
Establishing a retractor in small space is a problem that has been addressed in a variety of ways. The original Weitlaner retractor uses interlocking teeth on the retractor to provide a smooth retractor for insertion with teeth on the distal portion to engage the underside of the muscle or tissue planes. The teeth are interlocked when the retractor is in a closed position and exposed as soon as the retractor starts to open. Many other retractors with a similar hooked or curved surface at the tip of the blade require temporary retraction to establish the blades in position. Some retractors using interchangeable blades allow temporary retraction of tissue and individual placement of blades before attaching to a retractor body.
Presently, placing such a retractor is difficult and requires a larger opening with use of temporary retractors to hold open the plane. Additionally, it is frequently difficult to get the retractor all the way down to the bony surface without catching some fascicles of muscle tissue in the process. When using a retractor tip with a central portion removed to allow placement over the prominence of the lamina, it is frequently difficult to not get one side out of plane and disrupt muscle fibers during placement.
The presently available retractors can be difficult to initially insert into a surgical site, because they are designed for maintaining an opening for the surgeon to perform his or her work, but they are not designed for neatly creating the initial opening. Thus, there exists a need for a device that can be used to establish a path for placement of a retractor in a tight intermuscular or transmuscular plane with minimal dissection or exposure required.